


heat waves and distant gazes

by sunsetea (TheFluffyEntity)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends to Lovers, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Keith works at a pool cleaning service, Lance just wants to escape the heat but ends up catching feelings, Lots of Pining Lance, M/M, Slightly Oblivious Keith, Small amounts of angst and drama, There will be some fluff and awkward moments, more tags to be added later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-13
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-12-14 15:19:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11785902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFluffyEntity/pseuds/sunsetea
Summary: An AU in which Keith works as a pool guy at a resort and Lance is weak





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fall is just around the corner so I wrote this in hopes of making that summer vacation feeling last a little bit longer. 
> 
> And a huge thanks to my friend on discord for reading my rough draft of this!

When Lance imagined his first summer as an university student, he didn't think it would be like this. It should be filled with parties, dancing, having the time of his life.  
  
It shouldn't be contemplating his existence in a humid dorm room.  
  
“It’s so hot!” Lance groaned as he laid stretched on the floor. His whole body felt sweaty and his shorts clung to his body.  
  
“You said it.” Hunk nodded in agreement. He wasn't doing much better, taking out another water bottle from the fridge and pressing it on his forehead. The thermometer in the corner read a good steady 98 degrees and to Lance it felt as if it was mocking him.  
  
A long beat of silence followed until there was a knock at the door. Neither of them moved to open it.  
  
“It’s open!” Lance shouted.  
  
With a click the door opened only to reveal Pidge, raising an eyebrow at the state the two males were in.  
  
“What's going on?” asked Pidge as she walked inside.  
  
Hunk glanced up towards their AC unit currently buzzing and emitting faint smoke. “There’s no air conditioner and the repair guy won't make it for another two weeks.” He sighed. “It's been a little...uncomfortable lately."  
  
“Why don't you go to the beach or a water park?” Pidge inquired.  
  
“We don't have the extra money, especially after visiting family last week.” Hunk proceeded to lay on the couch and wipe his head with the back of his arm.  
  
“I’m actually melting. Tell...my family...I loved them…” Lance dramatically grasped at the air with one hand.  
  
Pidge rolled her eyes and looked down at her phone “Well I do know someone with a pool-”  
  
Lance quickly sat up, a shining gleam in his eyes “Did you say pool?!”  
  
Pidge smirked but somehow Lance felt like there was a different meaning behind it.  “Yeah and it's even in a gated community.”  
  
In that moment it was like he heard the chorus of angels singing. Lance saw himself swimming and girls all around. Maybe the summer would be salvageable after all.  
  
“But you'll owe-”  
  
“Done!” Before she could finish her sentence Lance jumped up and raced into the other room.  
  
“Who is this mystery person?” asked Hunk  
  
“She’s a good friend. We first met during a group project for biology.” Pidge replied as she continued to type into her phone.  
  
“What are we waiting for?!” Lance entered the room again in a flash, blue swim trunks on along with flip flops and a twinkle in his eyes. “Let’s go!”

* * *

It turned out that the pool was a part of small resort called Altea. There were palm trees surrounded by a long row of lavender flowers out front of the three story high building with a few more in the back. The trio waited by the front when they heard a voice from behind.

“There you are!” A woman approached the three of them as they turned to face her.  
  
“Guys, this is Allura” said Pidge.  
  
Lance thought that she looked like an actual goddess; she wore an all white one piece swimsuit with a floral cover up that stood out against her dark skin and gold earrings to boot.  
  
“I'm Hunk, it's nice to meet you” Hunk gave out a wide smile.  
  
“Likewise” she replied back with a small one of her own.  
  
“Hey there, Princess. The name's Lance.” Lance winked at her as he eyed her up and down. It was time to take the charm level up to a high ten and capture her heart.  
  
“Do you know what my shirt is made of? Boyfriend material.” He wagged his eyebrows at her.  
  
Allura said nothing and slightly tilted her head to the side in confusion.  
  
No effect, huh? He’d have to use something more straightforward “Are you a parking ticket?  Because you have fine written all over you.” He threw a pair of finger guns towards her and clicked his tongue.  
  
Her face flickered with realization and then turned apologetic “I'm terribly sorry, but I'm already taken. But your mannerisms are quite charming though.” said Allura  
  
Lance swore he felt embarrassment crawling up the back of his neck, painting a faint blush there. He only gave a nervous laugh in response.  
  
Allura turned her head towards the pool. “I’ll show you around, follow me” As they walked Lance nudged Pidge with his shoulder.  
  
“You could've warned me before I met her?” He stage whispered to Pidge as he hung his head.  
  
“Well yeah, but it wouldn't be much fun that way.” Pidge snickered.

The sight that greeted them was a welcoming one filled with tons of people relaxing under the sun. It was full of life with the sound of music and playful shouts filling the air. The pool itself was crescent shaped and six feet deep with cabanas on the sides. Lance took a while to let his surroundings sink in.  
  
One person in particular caught his interest right away, a few feet away walking in the opposite direction. There was a guy with a mullet haircut that looked around his age carrying gallons of pool chemicals in both hands. He wore red swim shorts and a black thin button up that looked particularly uncomfortable for the current weather.  
  
The two locked eyes on each other and Lance received a blank stare followed by an harsh glare in return. Lance was pretty sure he was going to hate his attractive guts. How could anyone be that pretty?  
  
“Is something wrong?” Hunk asked him as Lance snapped out of his thoughts. Lance shook his head. “No, it's nothing.”  
  
Meanwhile they all continued to walk ahead but when Lance searched for him again, he was gone.  
  
The rest of the day was decidedly better as they were to fully relax. The cool water was a nice contrast to the heat, Lance found out as he and Hunk swam around. Allura and Pidge sat in the shade conversating. Although he couldn't help the way his eyes trailed around expecting to see someone.  
  
Hunk and Lance exchanged numbers with Allura in the evening and discovered that her dad owned the country club itself. She told them that they were welcome there any time as they all went their separate ways.  
  
He had a hard time sleeping that night, a certain person couldn't sleep that night, thoughts of said person and question marks still filling his head.

* * *

Lance didn't want to admit it but he was starting to think he was more into this than he thought. He soon found himself going to the resort often and it became a part of his daily life. One day, he was preparing to go, excitement barely contained.  
  
“Alright time to hit the pool!”  He stretched his arms wide open, leaning from side to side.  
  
Hunk gave him a side eye glance as he entered the dorm, a bag of groceries in each hand “But we've been going there for four days straight now.”  
  
“Hunk you're missing the big picture here! This is about the big picture here! All of the beautiful girls, remember?"  
  
“Uh you sure about that? Because the only person you've been staring at is that guy by the pool.”  
  
“Bro. Why do you hurt me so.” Lance gasped as he held his chest.  
  
“I've gotta tell it as it is, man” Hunk said as he shrugged his shoulders. It was clear that he would go if necessary but Lance didn't want to force him.  
  
Oh well, there was always Plan B. He took out his cell phone and hit a familiar number on speed dial.  It rang for a bit and before Lance could say a word he got interrupted.   
  
“Oh no, I’m not going” Pidge’s voice filtered through the phone.  
  
“But why?” asked Lance.  
  
“I had a feeling this would happen which is why we made that deal in the beginning.” she replied back  
  
“What deal!?” Lance squeaked out indignantly. He didn't make anything of the sort, or so he thought.  
  
“Remember the part where I said you’ll owe me? This is it, right here.” There was a pause before Lance could the teasing tone accompanied her next words "Good luck, lover boy."

  
-  
  
_‘Alright I can do this solo, no sweat’_  Lance sat at one of the two chairs with an umbrella overlooking it. He wore a pair of sunglasses on along with a book to not look so suspicious. " _I've got my eyes on you, now’_  
  
He ended up doing more staring than swimming as he watched as Pool Boy once again use a meter to check the pool and write something down on a clipboard. His back was turned towards him but he didn't mind. For the past few days Lance observed him as he completed his routine, never interacting with anyone else or noticing Lance's staring.

But perhaps he needed to be a bit more hidden about it. When Allura approached the table him with drinks in hand he jumped a bit, feeling like he got caught red handed.  “Allura!”

She gave a friendly greeting and handed him an iced tea. "How are you enjoying it here?" she asked.

"This place is incredible.” Lance sincerely meant each word. Letting him stay here was a huge favor. Even by looking around he could tell he wouldn't be able to afford to stay here on ordinary conditions.

She sat there looking towards him and back at the pool silently. Finally she handed him a key card, the very same one that opened the gate door to the pool.  “Since you're here almost everyday I think it's best for you to have this. I trust you’ll keep it in good care. If any problems arise just say you know Alfor’s daughter.” said Allura   
  
Lance felt a rush of gratitude hit him.  "Thank you."

Allura leaned in closer to him as she gave him a playful pat on the back. "Besides I want to give you a helping hand with your infatuation for-"

“What's that supposed to mean?!”  
  
It seemed like everyone knew something that he wasn't catching on to, strangely enough.  
  
After that he didn't go near Altea for a while, thinking that maybe he should give it a break, maybe the more time he spent away, the better.  
But as the days passed his mind was still stuck in the same place.

* * *

Lance decided to approach him one day in the evening. It was almost closing time as the sun set down and the pool guy was the only one around. He was fishing items out of the pool with the net and onto the concrete. There was a small amount of cluttered trash in the surrounding area. It didn't seem like an easy task for anyone to do solo.   
  
Lance opened the gate slowly as the same familiar guy turned around to face him, weariness written all over his face.  
  
"You need some help? " asked Lance tentatively walking closer to him.  
  
"It’s fine." the dark haired boy sighed as he picked up a woman's stray bikini from the pool  "This is my job, after all.” He sounded resigned but his shoulders sagged with exhaustion. Lance began to pick up some stray items that were scattered around them.

 "Dude, I insist. Besides I don't think all of this mess was a part of the job description."  
  
Mystery guy broke out in a small smile and Lance swore to himself that he would find a way to make it appear more often " Thanks.”  
  
Lance picked up a stray can and turned around at pool boy with a smile as he stepped backwards "I bet you I can make this shot.”  
  
"You? I really doubt it." Dry sarcasm dropped with each word he said.  
  
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?! You have such little faith in me?" Lance pouted as he aimed for the trash can. He threw it and watched it bounce right off the rim of the can.

 "Those are some good skills you’ve got there, sharpshooter.”  
  
Lance tired not to let his heart skip a beat at the way that sounded.  “Hey for your information, the name’s Lance.”   
  
“Keith.” said the other man said in return.  
  
Lance proceeded to grab another can and throw it directly in the trash bin this time, eyebrows heightened and grinning from ear to ear.   
  
“Ha! I got it that time!”  
  
“Oh yeah?” Keith grabbed a few more and the two continued their mini competition, snickering and taunting the whole time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fic for Voltron! My computer crashed so I ended up reposting this. Would anyone be interested in what happens in the next chapter?
> 
> Comments or Kudos are appreciated!
> 
> Thanks for reading (*´▽`*)


	2. Chapter 2

The two of them had fell into a daily routine. There were times when the other couldn’t make it, but most of the time they would meet up at the pool and hang out.

Lance slowly found himself enjoying his company. He was starting to see that Keith wasn’t like his first impression of him and was actually pretty cool. They would go back and forth from bantering to casuals talks. It was a different kind of companionship, not yet friends or strangers.

 He couldn't help but be curious about more of Keith's past. It didn't make much sense for him to be working here, even if it was a summer job. This sort of scenario really didn't seem like his thing. Lance imagined he’d be good at a place with less exposure and little interaction. Maybe a tattoo parlor or just something more Keith-like.

 One day, the two of them sat by the pool's edge observing the scenery. Lance thought it would be a good time to bring up the question. 

 "How did you get this job anyway?" Lance asked

 "My brother was already working there and they put in ad saying there was another new opening." Keith paused and shook his head, a fond look on his face. 

 "I remember when he first told me about it. Said it'd be a great way to spend the summer. But it's not too bad. He’s out of town right now so most of the work falls on me to go to the other properties and take care of those. "

Lance let out a long whistle "That sounds like a lot of work. You sure you can handle it all by yourself?" He couldn't help teasing him a little bit.

 "I've got it covered," said Keith with a roll of his eyes “Besides, In the future I'll be long gone."

 "The future huh..." Lance muttered " I wonder..."

 "What about you?” Keith asked

 “I mean university is great, don’t get me wrong. But they don’t exactly you give a guide on what happens after that." Despite his usual confidence, Lance still felt a bit uneasy. He hadn’t even told his family yet about his major change and what he wanted to do. A twinge of unease had started to hit him.

Suddenly Keith's voice broke him from his thoughts. "We all aren't sure of the future. That's normal, isn't it? Don't beat yourself up over it."  He stood up and grabbed the clipboard, scanning over it.

 .... Had he tried to cheer him up? Lance felt a swell of gratitude go through him. Keith may have not been the best with words, but his intentions were clear.

 "Isn't it your lunch break?" asked Lance, standing up to stretch.

 "It is," Keith replied

 Lance’s eyes caught watched as a few little kids were carrying cones with shaved ice in their hands. 

 "I have an idea"

 

* * *

 

Keith unwrapped the cherry popsicle and eyed it up and down "You call this lunch?" 

The two had just left the convenience store. Lance had convinced Keith to walk there since it was within walking distance but now, as they stepped back into the heat, he was starting to slightly regret that decision.

"Hey, anything could be lunch if you try hard enough." replied Lance, unwrapping his own ice cream bar. "Sometimes you have to enjoy the little things in life."

Keith began to eat his, opening his mouth slightly to crunch down on the iced treat directly. "Not bad." 

 Lance broke a piece from his and threw it into his mouth. It actually did taste as good as it looked. 

 "You-" Keith growled, glancing at the bar in Lance's hand "Let me try some."

 "No way! This one's mine," Lance held it a little bit further from him. 

 "Fine." said Keith, turning his head in the other direction. 

 Lance was distracted for a second by his tone and Keith took advantage of that. He grabbed Lance's wrist, pulling it slightly towards him as he leaned over and took a bite of the bar. After leaning back, he gave Lance a triumphant smile.

 "Now we're even." The smile combined with the playful look in his eyes had Lance's head spinning. 

 _'Think calm thoughts"_   Lance thought to himself, trying to will his heart to calm down.

The streets were busy and people were walking to and from their destination but Lance was only focused on him. The heated wind blowing Keith's hair against his face while his mouth had turned red from the popsicle was a sight Lance wouldn't forget. 

When they finally made it back, the front of the resort in sight, a small notification sound rang from Keith's phone. He reached down into his pocket to check it.

 "Special someone?" Lance teased,

However, the look on Keith's face turned more and more grave. He let out a huge sigh and shoved it back into his pocket. His body was tense as his fists clenched.

 "What's wrong?" asked Lance.

"It's nothing, just something I have to take care of." Keith ran over to the van in a hurry, unlocking the door. He shoved the keys in the ignition, muttering under his breath. The engine roared to life.

 "I-" Lance stopped himself before he spoke. He wanted to ask more, but he knew there were boundaries and this was something Keith wanted to take care of on his own.

 "What is it?" Keith asked him, prompting him to speak.

 "Uh," Lance rapidly thought of something else to say. He raised one hand up and said, "I'll see you later."

 "...Yeah" Keith still looked troubled but proceeded to back up and leave the resort in a flash. 

 As Lance stood there watching the van go off into the distance, it felt as if he was still out of reach, despite getting closer. 

 Shaking his head, Lance proceeded to get into his own car and turn up the radio, trying to drive away such confusing thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while! I just started my first year of college and there has been so much work and suffering™ But I'm glad to finally update this fic.
> 
> I'm working on the next chapter and I can already say that it's going to be much more fun and eventful than this one ^^
> 
> As always, Kudos/Comments are appreciated! Thanks for reading (o´∀`o)


End file.
